By: Autumn & Ryan

THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL

In 1945 after WWII, Berlin split into 4 sections and occupied by: United States, Great Britain, France and The Soviet Union

June 1945- The Yalta and Potsdam agreements split berlin in two major sectors with the soviets taking the eastern half, and the Allies taking the western

THE RISE OF THE WALL

E A S T B E R L I N W E S T B E R L I N

• Communist society• Spoil of war• Took all supplies and valuable assets

from east berlin and sent them back to the soviet union

• Individual freedom was restricted• Everyone wanted to leave• By 1960, East Berlin lost most of its

labor workers and its population• 2.5 million people fled by 1961 

• Capitalist society• Experienced such a large economic

growth, it was known as the economic miracle

• Able to live well• Purchase gadgets and appliances• Travel freely

East Berlin residents wanted to live in West Berlin which

resulted in fl eeing and mass emigration

Soviet Union wanted to take over West Berlin to prevent

this

US and Western allies were committed to protecting it

Desperately, East Germany built a barbed wire fence with

armed soldiers stretching over 100 miles

Construction started the night of August 13 th 1961 and

was fi nished by morning

“Whatever side you went to sleep on that night was the

side you were stuck in forever” - h t t p : / / h i s t o r y 1 9 0 0 s . a b o u t . c o m / o d / c o l d w a 1 / a / b e r l i n w a l l . h t m

THE RISE OF THE WALL

In 1965, the fence was replaced with reinforced

concrete walls and guard towers

Telephone lines connecting sides were cut

Section in-between sides was known as the “Death

Strip” because anyone trying to cross was killed

immediately

None of the 60 000 commuters from East Berlin could

make it to their well-paying jobs in West berlin and

families were separated

In 1975, the wall was renamed The Grenzmauer 75

which was there to stay

THE RISE OF THE WALL

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall

VIDEO

1987-President Ronald Reagan visits Berlin and urges

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall.

May-September 1989- Thousands of East Germans leave

and make their way to West Germany due to Hungarian

Government opening their border with Austria

November 4th 1989- A million people attend a pro-

democracy demonstration in East Berlin's main square and

within days the East German Government resigns

November 9 th 1989- East German protesters go to border

crossings demanding they be let through

WHY THE WALL FELL

November 9, 1989- An announcement was made by Günter Schabowski, a government offi cial of East Germany

Schabowski misinterpreted the instructions given to him of when to make the announcement and that the changes were not being made immediately

This broadcast sent people into shock then chaos broke out as they began chipping away at the wall and celebrating

This symbolizes the end of the Cold War October 3, 1990- East and West Germany were

offi cially reunifiedhttp://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/449

WHY THE WALL FELL

Eastern Germany lost some two million people (around 13.5 per cent of its population)

Cultural disunion is occurring Western Germany sent around 3 trillion dollars to the East As a result westerners have grown impatient with giving out

handouts and easterners remain resentful of western prosperity

East Germans didn’t set aside much money for old age and therefore now have to care for their aging parents while Westerners are cashing in on their Boomer parents’ savings, accrued during the 1950s-60s “economic miracle.”

In 1990 The German government sold off eastern industries and launched an ambitious “solidarity pact,” through which western tax money would be pumped eastward

In 2012 the great migration per year decreased to only 2000 compared to the 65 000 in earlier years

IMPACT

The fall of the Berlin Wall was immediately significant It enabled free travel between zones where families

have been separated for yearsPeople were able to flee East Berlin to get away from

the horrible living conditionsEnabled people to start to live a better lifeMore symbolically significant as it shows the end of

the “battle” that had been ongoing for yearsSymbolized an end to the catastrophic Soviet Union

ruling over East Berlin

DEFINING MOMENT

The building of the wall resulted in dramatic changes in people life for many families were separated, many lost their jobs, and lost their freedom

The fall of the wall resulted in dramatic changes in people lives for they were reunited and free at last

Everyone fled into West Germany since it was the desired place but then East Germanys economy crashed

Symbolic of the end of the cold war and the crash of communism

Gave people hope for a better life However the wall has left an everlasting barrier in

people minds

DEFINING MOMENT

Guenter Schabowski, "Guenter Schabowski's Press Conference

in the GDR International Press Center," Making the History of

1989, Item #449, http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/449

(accessed September 25 2014, 9:04 am)

"Berlin Wall." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 1 Jan.

2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

"A Divided Germany, 25 Years after the Berlin Wall."

Macleansca. Macleans, 25 May 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). All About the Rise and Fall of the Berlin

Wall. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://

history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall.htm

WORKS CITED